Tag Archives: Personal Expenses

In 2014 approximately 66,000 people made their way to Burning Man in the Nevada desert. We all had to get there one way or the other via plane, bus, or automobile. We all traveled through or from Nevada. There is no doubt the influx of people traveling to Burning Man has an impact on the Nevada economy. But just how much money do Burners really spend? It’s a fair question, given it does cost the state money to host the event. As seen below, slightly less than 60% of our participants spend between $250.00 to $2,500 in Nevada before or after the event. In looking at both ends of the graph 37% spend $250.00 or less and just over 3% spend more than $2,500. The estimated direct spending by participants in Nevada for 2014 was $45 million. No small change! Let’s look at how this spending has been changing over time: The next question is how do we spend our money in Nevada? You can see from the graph below most of us spend our money on things we need to attend the event. No matter how you get to Burning Man, you will need to eat and get gas along the way, at the very least. Others sleep the night and some even recreate in the Silver State. If my fellow Burners are like me you may also find yourself buying a few last minute supplies (or even a whole camp’s worth) to make your experience more comfortable or enjoyable while you are a citizen of Black Rock City. Do we stop along the way and visit Nevada’s other attractions? The answer to that question is a definite “yes.” 25% of our participants visited a park or recreation area on their way to or from the event. Coming from Oregon, my group does take the time to look for new parks and areas to explore on our way to and from Black Rock City. Part of the experience is getting to and from Burning Man. Enjoy your trip this year, fellow Burners, and please do be responsible guests in Nevada.

Only the most naive newbie or the most desperately-optimistic hippie would plan to show up at the Burning Man Gate without a ticket in hand, hoping to find a surplus of tickets at the Box Office or a kindly scalper waiting for someone to relieve him of a pair.

Garnering a ticket for an event has become an annual ritual involving elaborate planning, camping out on the phone on sale-days, worming your way into the right theme camps’ directed ticket sale or slaving away for years to get a DPW pass. The difficulty in obtaining tickets these days has led people into believing that there must be a thriving black market for tickets. As noted in earlier posts, there is a rise in the median income of attendees which further exacerbates this suspicion. So in 2014, we asked Burners specifically where they got their tickets, how much did they spend to get it, and how much did they spend overall to attend the event to understand whether the overall costs were rising for people.

Tickets can range anywhere from $190.00 for low income tickets to $800.00 for pre-sale tickets. However, the majority of attendees buy their tickets for $390.00 per ticket. The graph below shows 79% of us paid face value for our tickets. Despite a few people selling tickets for $1,000.00 or more online, the community stubbornly protects the ideal if you resale your ticket you should not make money off that sale! I also feel it’s commendable to the community that 10% of our participants were gifted their tickets.

I know you can find Burning Man tickets for sale on line from several ticket sales outlets and private parties, so it might surprise you that, in 2014, less than 1% reported buying their ticket from a 3rd party vendor. When you look at where people bought their tickets, 72% bought them from the Burning Man organization and that number includes STEP. When people bought resale tickets, up to 19% of them purchased them from someone they knew.

You’ve paid the price of admission how much more is it going to cost you to get yourself to Burning Man for a week. According to the 2014 Census 68% of us spent anywhere from $500.00 to $2,500.00 to attend. That’s not too bad considering you cannot buy anything other than ice and coffee once you are “home” in Black Rock City. For 7 days in the desert, participants are paying from just under $100.00-a-day, up to $350-a-day for food, lodging, drink, transportation, et cetera. Thirteen percent spent less than $500 for 7 days or about $72 a day, and 19% of participants spent anywhere from $350 to over $700 a day. On average Burning Man is priced within what the average American spends on a vacation. According to www.usatoday.com travel section, most of us will spend an average of $150 to $200 a day on vacation. I will admit when questioned by family and friends is going to Burning Man worth all the time, effort and cost? My answer has always been without hesitation, “yes”.

2014 approximately 69,000 people made their way to Burning Man in the Nevada desert. We all had to get there one way or the other via plane, bus, or automobile. We all traveled to, through and from Nevada.

There is no doubt the influx of people traveling to Burning Man has an impact on the Nevada economy. But just how much money do Burners really spend? It’s a fair question, since Burning Man bring tourist dollars to the state.

The total projected dollars spent in Nevada by Burners in 2014 was $45 million. When you look at the trend over the last 3 years total spend in Nevada went from $42 million 2012 up to $55 million in 2013 and back down to 45 million in 2014. Why the fluctuation? That’s a good question and if you look at how we spend our money while in Nevada gas is a big purchase. According to the U.S.

Energy Information website http://www.eia.gov gas prices in August 2012 were $3.36 a gallon, 2013 gas was at a high of $3.65 a gallon and in 2014 the price of a gallon of gas was back down to $3.36.

Projected spend based on Self-Reported Spend from 2012-2014

A little less than 60% of our participants spend between $250.00 to $2,500 per person in Nevada before or after the event. In looking at both ends of the graph 37% spend $250.00 or less and just under 3% spend between $2,500 and more than $5,000.

Self-Reported Burner Spending in Nevada

question is: how do we spend our money in Nevada? You can see from the graph below most of us spend our money on things we need to attend the event. No matter how you get to The Burning Man, you will need to eat, get gas, and stay somewhere along the way. If my fellow Burners are like me, you may also find yourself buying a few last minute supplies to make your experience more comfortable or enjoyable while you are a citizen of Black Rock City.

Categorized Self Reported Nevada Spend

Do we stop along the way and visit Nevada’s other attractions? The answer to that question is a definite “yes.” 25% of our participants visit a Nevada park or recreation area on their way to or from the event. I know coming from Oregon we do take the time to look for new parks and areas to explore on our way to and from Black Rock City. Part of the experience is getting to and from Burning Man. As Burning Man 2015 is less than four months away, this data reminds us of the excitement that is to come, and may provide some new ideas for your journey this August. Enjoy your trip this year, fellow Burners, and please do be responsible guests.